


Late Nights and Tea

by WhirlwindWriter



Series: Happily Ever After Ending AU [4]
Category: The Property of Hate
Genre: Angst, Cuteness and Softness, Fluff, Guilt, Happy Ever After AU, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, My writing is still weird, Nightmares, Tea, it is late
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-07 22:35:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17969330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhirlwindWriter/pseuds/WhirlwindWriter
Summary: “Didn’t wake ya, did I?”“Nah. Got cold without you.”"Sorry bout that doll..."





	Late Nights and Tea

Dial woke up with his heart racing. His eyes snapped open, and for a long moment, he couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t do anything except stare at the brick wall and wait for the last dregs of his nightmare to drain away. When the feeling came back into his body, and his brain began to unfreeze, he turned onto his back. Staring up at the ceiling, even in the dark, he could make out the colours of the blankets and curtains pinned up there.

He focused on one specific rainbow tie dye curtain, picking out the shades of red, yellow, and green, doing his best to stabilize his breathing. He remembered finding that one himself, rescuing it from the back room of a second hand store. He’d brought it home with a cheesy grin on his face, and TOby had stared at him like he’d dropped from Mars.

_ “Dial…” _

_ “Yeah Dollface?” _

_ “What on god’s green earth is that?” _

_ “Issa curtain! Y’know, for th’shower?”  _

_ “Absolutely not.” _

_ “But!” _

_ “Dial if we put that in the bathroom we’ll go blind every time we turn the lights on.” _

_ “But lookit it! It’s all colourful and happy!” _

_ “It looks like it was dipped in your cousin’s head.” _

_ “Exactly!” _

That had gotten a laugh, and eventually they’d compromised, hanging the ostentatious swirl of colours from the ceiling in the bedroom rather than the shower in the brightly lit bathroom. The memory made him feel just a little bit better, loosening his chest and throat, letting him breathe easier.

After a few minutes he sat up, combing his fingers through his hair and looking out the window. Outside it was dark, a crescent moon smiling down on the world under a blanket of stars. He looked to his right, and couldn’t help the smile that turned up the corners of his mouth at the sight of his wonderful, amazing, handsome boyfriend, drooling in his sleep with his face half smushed in a pillow. Perfection.

There was no need to wake him, so Dial kissed TOby on the cheek and climbed out of bed, heading downstairs to the kitchen. The world was quiet and still, and he felt out of place, disruptive in the perfect silence. He looked around at the band posters, vinyl records, and bookshelves lining the walls, and at the potted plants sitting on the counter and hanging from the ceiling, the mess of papers on the kitchen table. He looked at the home he’d helped build, the place that was so much a part of his heart, and tried to draw comfort from it, but found nothing. 

The feeling of dissonance persisted as he waited for the water to boil and the tea to steep. The apartment felt like it was holding it’s breath, waiting for something. He stirred a spoonful of honey into his mug, alongside a spritz of lemon juice, then walked out onto the balcony that overlooked the back garden. In the light of the moon and the street lamps the plants looked almost ghostly, almost glowing like the plants in the World of Make Believe. 

Alone on the balcony with his thoughts, it was too easy for familiar feelings of anxiety and guilt to creep back in. It was too easy to remember why he didn’t deserve this, why he was just as bad as She was.  _ “Catch ya later livin doll.” “Say howdy to the ferryman for me!” “Maybe I’ll tune in later!” _ He’d apologized to the people he’d hurt, and been forgiven, but he couldn’t feel like he deserved it. Not after everything he’d done to help Her.  _ “Whelp… that went about as well as we expected.”  _ We. He’d been part of it. He’d been a  _ villain _ . Without his notice, Dial’s hands began to tremble. 

He bit his lip and tightened his grip on the mug to stop the shakes, drawing it closer to his chest. The world was going blurry, so he shut his eyes to block it out. He stayed that way for a good amount of time, letting his tea go cold and waiting for something to break the still silence as he himself faded into it.

He didn’t know how long he stayed that way but when he was snapped out of it, it was by two strong arms wrapped around his shoulders. For a moment he froze, but he quickly relaxed into the embrace. 

“Didn’t wake ya, did I?”

“Nah. Got cold without you.”

He chuckles, “Sorry bout that doll…”

“Nightmare again?”

“Yeah…” No point hiding it. They’d played this scenario out backwards and forwards more times than either would like to admit. For a while they stand there in comfortable silence, Dial resting against TOby’s chest with a mug of cold chamomile tea cradled between his hands. 

“Think you can sleep yet?”

“Mmm…” Dial hummed noncommittally, but even to himself he sounded sleepy. TOby snorted , sweeping the skinny radio personality off his feet and lifting him as easy as a pillow.  
“Come on chatterbox, bedtime now.”

Dial laughed, laying his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder. “You’re th’boss doll.” he yawned.They settled back on their mattress and within a few minutes, both were soundly asleep, and would remain so until morning.


End file.
